Charles H. Hoessle Herpetarium

Charles H. Hoessle Herpetarium

Four climates await you inside the Mediterranean-style stucco building with a red tile roof, the Charles H. Hoessle Herpetarium. Montane, temperate, tropical and desert are represented habitats for reptiles and amphibians. As you make your way around inside the building, you'll notice natural climate settings including trees, vines, rocks and water for each species. Indoor/outdoor yards for crocodilians and giant tortoises feature waterfalls, pools, trees and grassy yards.

Once called the Reptile House with a small mammal wing, it was constructed in 1927. The idea of having a building specifically for snakes, lizards, frogs and other amphibians was new at the time, but interest in these creatures seemed to be high enough to warrant the new facility. The Reptile House was renovated 50 years later and today is home to more than 700 animals. In 2002 the Reptile House was renamed the Charles H. Hoessle Herpetarium in honor of the Zoo's Director Emeritus.

Learn more about our amphibians and reptiles including those found in the Herpetarium:

A Piece of History

In the early 1980s a two-headed bull snake was donated to the Zoo. A popular display, the snake grew to be about three feet long and lived two and half years, an unsually long life span for two-headed animals. The snake had a dominant right head and keepers had to put an index card between the two heads when feeding the snake so it didn't fight with itself. It apparently died one day when the left head became lifeless.